Cisco Targets Security Threats With IOS Update

Facing a spate of security vulnerabilities, Cisco has issued seven patches to shore up its IOS operating system, the engine powering many of its routers and switches. While the vulnerabilities varied in their degree of severity, each had the potential to initiate a Denial-of-Service attack.

Networking giant Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) this week released seven separate security advisories for vulnerabilities affecting its IOS network operating system -- the core powering many of its routers and switches.

The vulnerabilities affect multiple features and protocols across Cisco's networking portfolio, including TCP, IPsec VPNs , H.323 media and SIP . While the various vulnerabilities range in severity, they all could potentially trigger a Denial-of-Service (DoS) condition.

One of the vulnerabilities deals with a TCP packet DoS issue that could have been abused by a remote, unauthenticated attacker. TCP packets are among the most common forms of traffic that traverse a network, making the problem potentially serious.